Starting gear



Nov. 22, 1932. H. FORD STARTING GEAR Filed Sept. 8, 1950 l-lNVENTOR.

Witness,

I Q W W11. I I

ATTORNEY.

Patented Nov. 22, 1932 DEARBORN, MIonIoAmn coRPoR'ArIon'or DELAWARE V sranrrlve ems f 1 Application filed September 8, 1936. Serial my. 430,446)

The object of my invention is to providea.

starting gear of simple, .durable and inexpensive construction especially adapted for use in starting automobile engines.

Still a further object of my invention is t provide a starting gear incorporating a novel:

- overrunning clutch disposed between the pinion gear and the starting motor so that the gear maybe positively-driven by the starting motor to crank the engine but will be allowed to. overrun the starting motorwhen the engine starts and thereby drives the pinion.

provide a starting gear which is manually glne flywheel r ng gear and which is'automatically moved into full engagement with the ring gear after the initial movement.

Inversely, my improved starting gear is both automatically and manually shifted out of engagement with the engine flywheel when the latter rotates under its own power.

Still a further object of my invention is to.

provide a starting gear having spiral" teeth provide a starting pinion directly mounted on a plain bearingto therebysecure the pin:

ion in perfect alignment and to allow the use of an exceptionally small pinion thus providing a high gear ratio between the starting motor and the engine; i i l j With these and other objects in view, my invention consists in the arrangement, construction, and combination of the various parts of my improved device, as describedfin the'specification, claimed in my claims, and

illustrated in the accompanying. drawing;

in which:

Figure 1 shows a proved device, parts of the engine flywheel housing and starting motor being broken away to better illustratethe construction.

Figure 2 shows a sectional view through. my improved; starting overrunning clutch, and

initially urged into engagement with the enmotor so that "it the floorboards of the plan view of l dim gear, illustrating the q V ure .3 shows a sectionalview taken on the flywheel; However,if desired, the ring gem-112 can begformed integralwith the fly- Still afurther object of my invention is. to

'tubularshelllt whichis secured toa flange 15. which forms one-end ofthe motor and.

which is .fastenedto the; flywheel housinglO by suitable cap screws 16. The center por tion of the flange is dished away. from the projects into the flywheel housing and a bearing'17 is formed in the centerof this dished portion to rotatably receive'oneend of conventional armature l9 is fixedly'secured to the shaft 18 which armature is electrically rotated intheordinary manner. f cl haveprovided a starting i'motor switch 20 V which 'is fastenedto the upper side" of" the shell 14. The switch-20 isoperated by a' push rod 21 which extends upwardly through car whereia button 122 is fastened thereto in position to be operated by the drivers foot.

depressed itoperates the switch 20 in; the

conventional manner: thereby operating. the

starting motor iuntil the-button 22 is released; The armature shaft 18 is provided with a splined-section 23 adjacentto the armature 19v and spaced from hearing 17, hi h 1 3 a rrespondingly splinedisleeve is reciprocally mounted adjacent to the armaan armatureshaft 18'.

'When the button 22 is;

ture and the forward en'dxof theslee've24i is I forwardly a short. distance.:,:!I have provided provided witha radialfflange25 extending V portionof the shaft 18 23 and .the bearing 17' between the splines which'g'earis provided with ra sleeve 28 which extends'rearwardly abutting the end ofthe flange 25. A sleeve 410v extends from the sleeve 28and enclosesthe flange '25. A locking ring 29 is.

secured in a suitable-groove in' the sleeve &0. so that although relative rotation. is, allowed between the sleeve 28 y and the flange still the. members will e reciprocation. 2'

An annular chamber 26 is provided be.- 3

tween the splines 23. and the abutting portions of the'sleeve when the flange tends'touoverrun the sleeve. Thisfclutch consists of ahelical band 30 having one end-anchored at 31 in the fiange'25 and the other end extending into the sleeve 28. ltIt will benoted from Figure 3"that this endoftheband 30. is beveled at32 to receive I a ball33 which bears against. the hub, ofthe; -pinion' .27".- "Ahba'll type overrunning'clutch The ball 33locks thedfree end oftheband,

isthusprovidedwhich operates to energize the band therebynexp'anding same in the chamber '26'whenthe flange 25 tends to drive the;pinion 27. i

in :the sleeve 28 thereby forcing the band to unwindanditightlyengage the sleeve mem-j 'ber. Thusthe pinion 27 "is driven by the friction of the'band and not bythe'; action of the :ball 331al'one Of course; the band releases or uncoils in the chamber 26' when the pinion 27 tendst'ooverrun thestarting motor so that the engine is free to-rotate the'pinion 27 without' having to drivethe startingmotor "armaturef iilvlean's are provided for' initially-, shifting the pi'ni'on'gear 27 "into mesh-with the-ring gear 12 which'consists'of a lever 34 pivotally mounted at 135 in the v against this portion 77 shell 14, the lower end ofr which'lever isforkedatg36 tofen'gage an annular groover37-formedain the exterior of the. sleeve 28. When ;the.upper end 'of the lever 3Lis pressed fdownwardly vmanually shifts thepinion27 into engagement :with the teeth :13 to vthereby .manually connect. the

gearing. The upper end of the lever-34c 1s provided with an eye rod'21 extends andga coil spring 38 bears of the lever to resiliently urgesame' against a; pin 3 9which extends through the rod: The upper end of this spring is anchored toithe rod;21 justbelow is pressed, the pinion 27 is not positively shifted'into engagementwith the ring gear 12 but is rather resiliently urged into 7 thisjposi-v p tionfloyfthe spring '38;

' figjA second coil-spring His between 1 thelswitch 20 andthe so that-the rodi21 is resilientlyeurged atalli I: times to' jpo'sitionfwh'ere the switch 20 is: dis

lower end of-the: pin 39 locked against; relative "the'pinion 28 and-flange 25 -in which; chamber an expanding }clutch is provided whichllocks fthei sleeve and flange to'gether button 22 the v pinion is provide a pinion drive.

the flywheel' through. which the,

various parts 0 engaged and the pinion 27 out of mesh V the gear 12. An important feature in con nection with this devicearises because ofthe' spiral of the teeth 13. and pinlon' 27. After 12 the torqueof thearma- 1 the pinion is initially brought into engagement with the. gear.

ture automaticallydraws the pinion-into full 3 engagement. starts to operate under the spring gaged position.

f t ver n damage can be done to the starting motor eventhough thei To operate my improved device, thebutton 22 is pressed. thereby initially shifting the pinion 27 into mesh with the ring then completing the .startingrgear motor switch 20 .to. thereby startthemotorf- The; 1

from the shaft '18 is ftransmittedfi torque gear 1'2fandthrough thebandSO to'the 'sleeve'28 to thereby drive the pinionand thusrotate the engine- I It will be "noted-Q flywheel to start the motor. 7

that it upon "the initial application'iof the 7 enter between the gear teeth '13 then the spring 38will be compressed to allow..the armature 'ing the spring 38 tou'rgeit into. mesh.

Thenovel features in connection with device arise for the reason-that the spiral not in positionto 1 to rotate the pinion tol' position wherev it will become engaged thereby allow;

teeth on the ringgear'and pinion are of. such; 7

anglethat the H V gagement when .theeflywheel ,overrunsgthe starting motor armature of the pinion pinionis-thro-wnoutof en-" Further, the, spiral it gear teeth combined with thefirm iinounting 27-on the bearing 17' produce an exceptionallyouietdriving-gear. Still further. with pitch diameterto thereby of reduction between the Stil further, the overrunning this device I 'amF'enabl di-tjo j 7 gear of 1 very small. v secure-a high ratio startinggmotor and clutch incorporated in this' device provides.

a positive drive I I armature'and the pinion'27 whichtests prove willjlast, the life of; ,theiengine and require 'very little' attention I H p be made inthe. arrange Some changes may ment', constructlon," and combination of the f my improveddev ce', withoutdeparting from.

between the starting motor 7 I at the spirit of-my inventiom;

and it is my intention to cover by my 'claims such changes as may reasonablyibe included I -within'thescope thereof;

l claim as my invention? p 1-.= Inl the device of the cha Iacter described; an e ie' ne; flywheeli'having-a: spiral toothed ring gear; formed. ther n; a starting motor 7 1 upon the 'i'drivingi sh'aft of which; at. spiral" 7 toothed pinion is rotatablyandireciprocally mounted so as to mesh with said ring gear when reciprocated to one of its positions, a switch mounted upon said starting motor having a reciprocable rod extending radially therefromto actuate same, a lever pivotally mounted on said motor having one'end disposed adjacent to said rod and the other connected to said pinion whereby oscillation of said lever will reciprocate said pinion into mesh with said ring gear, and a compression spring disposed around said rod having its outer end secured thereto and its inner end abutting said lever, whereby upon depressing said rod said pinion will be reciprocated into mesh with the ring gear and upon said engine starting under its own power said pinion and lever will be returned to their inoperative poslitions independently of the position of said roc. i

2. In a device of the character described,

an engine flywheel having a spiral toothed ring gear formed thereon, a starting motor upon the driving shaft of which a spiral toothed pinion is rotatably and reciprocally mounted so as to mesh with said ring gear when reciprocated to one of its positions, an

7 overrunning clutch operatively connecting the starting motor shaft and said pinion effecting a unidirectional drive, whereby the motor may drive the pinion and the pinion may overrun the motor, a switch for said motor having a reciprocable rod extending therefrom to actuate same, a lever pivotally mounted on said motor having one end disposed adjacent to said rod and the other connected to said pinion whereby oscillation of said lever will reciprocate the pinion into mesh with said ring gear, and resilient means disposed between said rod and lever whereby depression of said rod to actuate the switch will resiliently urge said pinion into engagement with the flywheel and reciprocation of the pinion out of mesh may be accomplished bydsaid spiral ring gear independently of said to an engine flywheel having a spiral toothed ring gear formed thereon, a starting motor and out of mesh with said ring gear,a spring disposed around said rod having one end thereof secured to the rod and the other abut ting said lever whereby the pinion may be both resiliently urged into engagement with said flywheel and allowed tojbe reciprocated out of mesh with said ring gearwhen the f latter is operated by the engine.

HENRY roan} I .3. In a device of the character described, I

diagonally and upwardly therefrom adapted I to be directly actuated by the vehicle operators foot to actuate the switch, a lever piv otally mounted on said motor having one end disposed around said rod and the other connected to said inion whereby reciprocation of said rod will reciprocate said pinion into 

